An HB Christmas Carol
by DancingAnimalGoddess19
Summary: A retelling of Dickens' timeless holiday classic starring a variety of Hanna Barbera's beloved characters! Follow the stingy, villainous Ebenezer Dastardly and his sidekick, Muttley, as three spirits come to take them on a journey to help rid them of their evil, greedy and selfish ways!
1. Meet Ebenezer Dastardly (and Muttley)

Our story begins in 19th Century England, on Christmas Eve. The streets were filled with the townsfolk all hustle and bustle in celebrating the holiday and getting everything prepared for it. Many of them were even taking part in a number of different charities.

On one street, a gang of alley cats (Top Cat and his men) were caroling down the sidewalk.

"Give for a good cause while we sing." The cats sang. "Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la."

"Our good cause is our trip to the Bahamas." Top Cat smirked.

On a street block, a talking gorilla (Magilla Gorilla) dressed as Santa Claus stood next to a large sign that read, _Gorilla for Sale_ and rang a bell.

"Come take home a gorilla, that's me, for Christmas!" Magilla Gorilla called out to the walking townsfolk. "Only fifty percent off!"

But then he paused and got an idea.

"Actually, make that free! Come on now, you don't wanna miss this once-a-year chance!"

All the townsfolk were just full of joy and holiday spirit.

That is, except for one man and his canine sidekick. Among the townsfolk that were traveling through town was a grouchy-looking man with a mustache, a heavy coat, and a top hat named Ebenezer Dastardly (Dick Dastardly) carrying a sack. The man's shaggy mutt (Muttley) who also wore a top hat, plus a scarf walked by his master.

"Please, be a good man and give to the poor." A red hyena (Hardy Har-Har from Lippy the Lion) walked up to Dastardly and Muttley. "Even one little bit helps."

Dastardly gave a wicked grin, and then gave a quick look of sympathy to cover it up.

"Oh, why yes good sir." Dastardly pretended to be caring as he placed a schilling coin into Hardy's hand. "If that little bit helps…"

"Thank you, sir."

But all of a sudden, the coin was yanked out of Hardy's hand by string that had been tied to the coin.

Dastardly and Muttley laughed evilly at their nasty trick on Hardy.

"That little bit has helped me save my money! Thank you sir!" Dastardly laughed as he and Muttley kept walking through the streets.

If it was one thing that did make Ebenezer Dastardly happy, it was pulling dirty tricks on the poor. Thus showing just how evil, sneaky, selfish and greedy he was.

The fiendish duo finally approached their business, which was a mortgage company called _Dastardly and Sneekly Mortgage_. Even though Dastardly's business partner, Jacob Sneekly died seven years ago, his name could still be seen behind a giant black X drawn over it. Dastardly was that cheap and greedy.

Before he entered the building, the foul villain and his dog stopped to remember their old, villainous partner.

"Seven years ago today a man most evil and greedy, yet successful in running Dastardly and Sneekly Mortgage left this earth…" Dastardly sighed. "So intelligent when it comes to swindling the poor, robbing the widows and orphans, lying and his favorite of all if I remember, setting complex deathtraps. Bad old Sneekly was quite the business partner, and an even better one than Muttley!"

Muttley growled and bit his master in the butt.

"Ouch!" Dastardly yelled in pain. "Don't be mad Muttley. You're a great business partner! At least I have someone to scare off uninvited visitors!"

"Razzen-Frazzen-Backen that's better!" Grinned Muttley before he snickered.

Dastardly and Muttley entered the building, and gave one look to their lone worker, Yogi Cratchit (Yogi Bear), who was too busy working to even notice his bosses walking by him.

"It's quite warm in here." Dastardly told Muttley with a frown. "Too warm."

He turned his head to a working Cratchit.

"Cratchit." Dastardly tried to get his attention, to no avail.

"Cratchit!"

Cratchit was still too wrapped up in his work to hear him.

"CRATCHIT!"

Dastardly's loud shout sent Cratchit flying out of his seat and crashing to the ground.

"Y-y-yes Mr. Dastardly?" He stammered and shivered in an intimidated manner, his teeth chattering.

"I feel heat in this building." Dastardly scolded him. "Have you been using my coal again!?"

"I'm frightfully sorry Mr. Dastardly, but this place is colder than the average bear cave. A bear's gotta keep himself warm."

"Do you not know how much my coal costs!?"

Yogi gave a confused look.

"It's not cheap I'll give you that! It costs a ton of money as far as you're concerned."

"You hardly even use that money anyway, Dastardly, so what's the big deal, schmeal?"

"The more money I earn and save, the closer I'll be to getting rich, rich, rich!"

Muttley, displeased, bit Dastardly's leg this time.

"Ouch! I mean the closer we'll be to getting rich, rich, rich, Muttley!"

"Rassuh-frazzapazza you'd better believe it!" Muttley snickered.

"Now get back to work, Cratchit!" Dastardly demanded. "Time is money, you know."

Dastardly saying work made Yogi remember something.

"That reminds me, Mr. Dastardly." He spoke up. "Because tomorrow is Christmas day, I hope you don't mind if I take a day off, or does half a day seem okay?"

Dastardly got annoyed.

"Christmas." Dastardly muttered. "I'll make an exception this one time, Cratchit. I'll let you have half the day off, but you'll only get half, and I mean half of how much I normally pay you! How much is it? Fifteen schillings a week I think?"

"Correction." Yogi smiled.

"Then you only get seven point five schillings, and that's it!"

"If you need me, Cratchit, I'll be doing what I do best, counting my payments." Dick snickered before he gave Cratchit a serious look. "Keep working!"

"Yes sir." Cratchit gulped. "And I thought park rangers were so mean."

Dastardly was now seen in his office recording his pay from this week while Muttley helped him count his schillings and payments. From the looks of it, Dastardly seemed to have earned an amount that was enough to actually satisfy him, since money was the only thing that satisfied him in the first place, next to cheating and pulling nasty stunts of course.

"Fifty pounds this week!" Dastardly grinned and chuckled. "We're earning the perfect amount of moolah, eh Muttley?"

"Razzen-frazzen money, money, money!" Muttley snickered.

"I agree, Muttley!" Dastardly laughed in his throat as he and Muttley hugged their schillings and the sacks of schillings. "Money, money, money! Money is the world and nothing but the world!"

Suddenly, a bell by the main door rang as the door opened, causing Dastardly and Muttley to flinch and drop their earnings, to Dastardly's displeasure.

"Drat, drat, and double drat!" Dastardly frowned. "Who's the wise guy with the nerve to disturb my moment of paradise!?"

In came Dastardly's young nephew, Fred (Elroy Jetson).

"Hey, hey, hey, Fred!" Cratchit greeted young Fred with a smile and the tip of his hat. "Merry Christmas little guy!"

"Merry Christmas, Mr. Cratchit!" Fred greeted back. "I'm here to see my dear Uncle Scrooge. Where is he?"

"In his office, counting his money as always, but I'm sure he'd be pleased to see you!"

"Actually I'm far from pleased." Dastardly muttered as he and Muttley walked to the main door where Fred was. "What do you want!?"

"Uncle Dastardly!" Fred greeted his uncle with a tip of his own hat. "Merry Christmas!

"Christmas, bah humbug." Dastardly spat quietly.

"Razzen-frazzen bah humbug." Muttley muttered.

"I've come to tell you that my father has invited you over for our annual Christmas dinner tomorrow, Dearest uncle." Fred happily told Dastardly and Muttley. "Even Muttley is invited. Will you be able to come? We would love your presence!"

"You would love my presence?" Dastardly smirked. "At a Christmas dinner?"

"Not just me, my whole family would love to see you."

"Christmas is all nothing but a humbug!" Dastardly scowled.

"Leaping lasers! Uncle, you don't mean that." Fred stood there, shocked to hear such words.

"Oh but I do mean it."

"You mustn't mean it, Mr. Dastardly." Cratchit spoke up. "Christmas is a time for giving, for spending time with one's family!"

He leaned in towards Fred's ear.

"And not to mention all that yummy food." He whispered in the child's ear.

"I agree, Mr. Cratchit."

"Christmas, hah! Dastardly scoffed at Fred and Cratchit. "More like a _poor_ excuse for picking a businessman's pocket every twenty-fifth of December! I wouldn't even be caught dead at Christmas dinner, Fred! So you can just get lost!"

"Uncle Dastardly!" Fred's eyes filled with tears.

"I said beat it!" Dastardly shouted. "Send him out, Muttley!"

From there, Muttley growled at Fred and chased him out of the building, barking at him.

Once Muttley had sent Fred away, he snickered at his dirty deeds while returning to the building.

"Thank you, Muttley." Dastardly scratched Muttley behind the ears. "He deserved that."

"I don't think your nephew deserved that one bit." Cratchit frowned. "He's just a kid, you know."

"How many times do I have to keep telling you to get back to work!?" Dastardly scolded Cratchit.

"Okay, okay." Cratchit went back to his work.

The main door opened again. This time, a brown cat and a mouse (Snooper and Blabber) entered the door. Blabber carried a mug he and Snooper used to collect schillings for the poor.

"Well, well, well…" Dastardly smirked. "Not one, but two customers! How may I be of service?"

"Blab and I have come to raise funds for the less fortunate this holly-day season." Snooper replied.

"In case you're wondering what Snoop means, we're collecting money to help the poor." Blabber explained.

"And we was wondering if you would be so kind as to give."

Dastardly and Muttley frowned when they were asked to give, but got a wicked idea.

"Oh, yes. Certainly…" Dastardly gave an evil grin as he placed a schilling in the collecting mug.

He swiftly pulled a string that was tied to the schilling out of the mug and into his hand with an evil laugh.

"Now what kind of crude, cruel joke is this!?" Snooper frowned.

"I don't know, but I'm certainly not laughing." Blabber was also displeased with Dastardly's nasty move.

"I am…" Dastardly laughed, before his gave a glare to Snooper and Blabber.

"Because the two of you are nothing but fools! Me, Mr. Ebenezer Dastardly give to the poor!? You're crazy! I don't take part in such, such, such…"

"I've got a bad feeling about this…" Cratchit shivered.

"Humbug! I worked so hard to earn my money! I refuse to give it away!"

"Razzen-frazzen-backen me too." Muttley muttered.

"Gee, Mr. Dastardly." Blabber tried to reason with Dastardly. "We're not asking you to give all your money away. Just a part of it to help the poor."

"Well you can help me by getting out of my sight!" Dastardly snarled. "Muttley, get rid of them!"

Muttley chased Snooper and Blabber out of the building and onto the street, barking, growling, and biting their rears in the process.

Once Muttley got done chasing Snooper and Blabber away, and after he snickered at his foul deeds, Dastardly sighed in relief.

"That takes care of those hairballs."

Quite some time had passed, and Yogi arrived to talk to Dastardly.

"Pardon me, Mr. Dastardly…" He spoke quietly. "It's about time for me skidoo, schmoo."

"What do you mean?"

"In other words, it's closing time. I'd better get home."

"Oh, alright, Cratchit. You're free to go." Dastardly replied. "But remember, be here first thing in the morning at eight. Don't be late, or else!"

"Or else what, Mr. Dastardly?" Yogi gulped and shivered.

"Or else you're fired, and then turned into Muttley chow."

"Very well, sir." Yogi smiled nervously as he headed to the door. "Whatever you say. Good night, Mr. Dastardly, and Merry Christmas!"

"And a bah humbug to you, too!" Dastardly scowled. "Now get going before I lose my mind over this Christmas humbug! And I mean now!"

Muttley growled at Cratchit.

"Alrighty, sir!" Cratchit dashed out the door.

Once Cratchit left, Dastardly turned to Muttley.

"Help me get this place ready for closing time, Muttley!" He ordered. "I want the entire place looking flawless for tomorrow, so no mistakes!"

"Rassuh-frazzapazza snacken fracken bracken." Muttley mumbled as he started to clean the building.

"Christmas, bah humbug, and nothing but humbug." Dastardly grumbled with a roll of his eyes.


	2. The Ghost of Jacob Sneekly

As Dastardly and Muttley walked the cold, dark streets of town to return home, they were approached by a constable (Quick Draw McGraw) and his deputy (Baba Looey).

"Merry Christmas, partner!" The constable smiled with the tip of his hat.

"Feliz Navidad!" The deputy took Dastardly's hand and shook it. "Prospero Año y Felicidad, my friend."

"Oh get lost, both of you!" Dastardly swiped his hand out of the deputy's hooves. "I've heard enough humbug for one day!"

"I beg your pardon sir…" The deputy tried to explain.

"We was only trying to be friendly, and you might wanna do the same, buster!" The constable told him. "It's Christmas Eve after all, and don't you forget it!"

"When I said get lost, I meant go away!" Dastardly scowled. "And I mean go away!"

Muttley growled at the constable and the deputy, and then chased them off the street.

The two fiends continued their walk home, when an alligator (Wally Gator) went up to them.

"Give a penny to the poor?" Asked Wally, holding a small basket.

"How many times are people like you gonna bother me with such stupid requests!?" Dastardly scowled. "Get out of my sight before I go stir crazy!"

Muttley growled at Wally and he and Dastardly walked away, giving him cold frowns.

Before they reached their home, Dastardly turned his head to his dog.

"Here we are, finally home at last." Dastardly sighed. "No one tonight except for you, me and another bowl of gruel, eh Muttley?"

"Rassuh-frazza-pazza gruel, yuck!" Muttley muttered.

Once they arrived home, Dastardly gave Muttley the key. When Muttley took the keys and went to the door, however, the door's knocker formed into the familiar, ghostly face of Dastardly and Muttley's deceased business partner, Jacob Sneekly (Sylvester Sneekly/the Hooded Claw) before Muttley's shocked eyes.

"Dastardly and Muttley!" Sneekly's ghostly voice moaned.

"Razzen-frazzen Jacob Sneekly?" Muttley jumped with fright and came running quickly to his master.

Muttley hugged Dastardly's head and shivered with fear.

"Get off me, Muttley!" Dastardly frowned as he broke Muttley's locked arms and legs from around his head and threw him to the ground. "What's gotten into you!?"

"Snazzen-frazzen backen ghost on the door!" Muttley whimpered.

"A ghost!?" Dastardly scoffed as he took Muttley to the door. "Don't be ridiculous! I don't see anything on that door! Everyone knows that there are no such things as ghosts! Now get inside! I don't want you getting on my last nerve, either!"

After Dastardly walked in, Muttley dashed through the door with fright, causing him to bump into Dastardly. After Muttley snickered, Dastardly hit him on the head.

The evil human-dog duo walked up the stairs. Muttley was wary and frightened, but Dastardly ignored him. The sound of chains rattling came to their ears.

Muttley whimpered and shivered, while Dastardly just gave a look of reluctance.

"Stop this foolishness Muttley. I'm sure it's just the wind."

A few minutes later, Dastardly was now seen in a striped lavender nightgown, a dark purple robe, and a lavender nightcap eating a bowl of gruel in his armchair by the fire. Muttley also sported a nightcap and was also eating gruel from his dog dish, to his displeasure.

All of a sudden, the fire disappeared.

"The fire's gone!" Dastardly gasped. "What gives!?"

He and Muttley soon heard the sound of the wind howling and chains rattling again.

"Ebenezer Dastardly!" Sneekly's voice moaned again.

A paranoid Muttley quickly locked the door, and even Dastardly started to get nervous.

"Who could it be?" He shivered, hiding in his armchair with Muttley. "Whoever you are, leave us be!"

The ghost of Sneekly walked through the locked door with an evil laugh that caught Dastardly and Muttley's attention. Sneekly's body and clothes were all ghostly white, a white strip of cloth was tied around his head, and he was carrying a variety of heavy chains.

"Got you pretty good, huh Dastardly?" Sneekly laughed.

Dastardly and Muttley hid in fear.

"You have no memory of me, do you, Dastardly? Don't you or that mutt remember me?"

"Who-who-who are you?" Dastardly stammered as he and Muttley got up from hiding.

"Earth to Dastardly, it's been a long time. Don't ask who I am. Ask who I was." Sneekly corrected him.

"Oh, alright." Dastardly muttered with a frown. "Who were you?"

"If you recall, or not, in life I was your business partner in Dastardly and Sneekly Mortgage." Sneekly explained. "Jacob Sneekly was my name."

"Oh yes, Jacob Sneekly. But Jacob Sneekly's died seven years ago today. How can this be?"

"You know, you're more stubborn and reluctant than ever before." Sneekly sneered. "How can doubt your senses?"

"Uh, well…" Dastardly stammered. "Anything could affect them. Take a slight disorder of one's stomach for instance. Perhaps you're an undigested beef, a crumb of moldy cheese…"

"Razzen-frazzen pazzen, blech!" Muttley stuck out his tongue and muttered.

"Or an underdone potato for all I know…"

"Alright, I've heard enough of your big mouth!" Sneekly interrupted him.

"We recognize you now, Sneekly! We believe in you! My, you haven't changed a bit since your death." Dastardly and Muttley gave Sneekly fearful smiles.

"Exactly! Dastardly, allow me to explain why I came to you in the first place!"

Dastardly and Muttley gulped.

"Back when I was still alive, I led a wicked, villainous, diabolical life. My life consisted of foul, evil, fiendish deeds…" Sneekly explained. "I swindled the widows and widowers and robbed the little orphans, and basically anyone in particular. But for the most part, I spent the remaining years of my life doing a scheme most fiendish!

"I do remember!" Dastardly grinned a wicked grin and snickered, but then forgot. "What did you do again?"

"Oh brother…" Sneekly slapped his face. "I was the guardian of a lovely young heiress to a vast fortune belonging to her family. If anything was to happen to Penelope, the aforementioned heiress, before she turned twenty-one, I would inherit her huge fortune, and I'd live a rich, lavish life. So in order to obtain that fortune, I turned into a masked, caped villain called the 'Hooded Claw,' and under my guise, I would continuously follow Penelope everywhere she traveled, capture her, and then place her in complex deathtraps as an attempt to bump her off; mostly with her being tied up in them."

"Oh yes…" Dastardly smiled, recalling those days. "One of your best dirty tricks of all if I say so myself."

"I was quite clever, huh?" Sneekly chuckled, before his look became serious. "But if you take one look at me, you'll see where my villainy got me!"

"I do see." Dastardly replied. "All those heavy chains, which were never on you at the time of your death. How did they end up on you like that?"

"These chains you see on me are my everlasting punishment for my evil ways." Sneekly told Dastardly. "Link by link and yard by yard, these heavy chains are the price I pay for the evil doing I've done! And if you don't change your ways, you, too, will endure the same fate, Dastardly!"

He pointed his finger to Muttley.

"And you, too, hairball!"

"Snazzen-frazzen who's a hairball!?" Muttley grumbled.

"No please, Sneekly!" Dastardly begged and sobbed. "Anything but that!"

"Lucky for the two of you, there's a way out of this, and I promise you there is." Sneekly grinned. "A chance for you to see the light, and to end your days as villains!"

"What's that?"

"Tonight, you will be visited by three different ghosts!" Sneekly told Dastardly and Muttley of their fate.

"Three different ghosts?" Dastardly gulped. "It's bad enough you're haunting me right now!"

"These ghosts will come to you one at a time." Sneekly explained. "When the clock strikes 1 at midnight, the first ghost will appear. When the clock strikes 2, ghost number two will come. Finally, when the clock strikes 3, you'll see ghost number three!"

"Can't I just see them all at once and get it over with?" Dastardly asked nervously. "Surely I can, right?"

"That's not how it works, buster." Sneekly approached Dastardly and Muttley closer in an intimidating manner. "You'll only see them every hour, after midnight. Do as they say, listen to them, and I mean all of them! If you refuse, you will also bear chains of punishment for your villainy, but they will be much heavier than mine!"

"Alright, alright!" Dastardly's heart pounded quickly with fear. "I'll do it! I can't afford to go through what you're going through!"

"I knew you'd say that." Sneekly gave one last evil laugh before he prepared to leave. "Farewell, Dastardly and Muttley, and good luck to you!"

From there, Sneekly's ghost faded into the night.

Later that night, Dastardly and Muttley were in their bedroom preparing for, what they hoped would be a good night's sleep. But they were still feeling scared after Sneekly came to them and about their upcoming encounters with the ghosts he told them about. How could anyone think they'll have a good night's sleep at such a time? A still-jittery Muttley checked the room and his bed for any ghosts.

"Will you get a hold of yourself Muttley?" Dastardly scolded him. "There's no spirits coming. They too, are all just a bunch of humbug. Now get to bed already."

Dastardly climbed into his bed, which had drapes on all four sides and closed the drapes to go to sleep. Muttley pulled the drapes on his similarly built dog bed.

"Christmas, ghosts. Bah humbug." Dastardly mumbled before he and Muttley fell asleep.


	3. The Ghost of Christmas Past

The late hours of the night passed, and Dastardly and Muttley were sound asleep in their beds, when suddenly, the clock struck 1.

"Ding, ding!" Rang the clock's bell.

Dastardly and Muttley kept sleeping through the clock bell's ring. Out of the blue, a low-key Southern male voice tried to get their attention.

"Ebenezer Dastardly, wake up now." Said the voice from behind the drapes covering Dastardly's bed. "Come on, now. It's very important."

"Five more hours." Dastardly snored.

Muttley snored loudly; sound asleep in his dog bed, when he felt the bed being kicked slightly from behind his drapes. This caused him to wake up growling and searching all around the room.

Dastardly woke up to the sounds of Muttley's barks and growls and got out of bed to see what the ruckus was all about.

In the room stood a blue hound dog (Huckleberry Hound) donning a white robe with a belt of holly berries.

"Take it easy now, Muttley." The hound attempted to stop Muttley from trying to attack him. "I'm only here to help y'all."

"Who-who are you, and what brings you here?" Dastardly asked the hound.

"Little ole me? Why, I'm the Ghost of Christmas Past!" The blue hound introduced himself.

"Christmas past?" Dastardly was confused. "By that do you mean long past?"

"No, silly." The Ghost of Christmas Past giggled. " _Your_ past."

"My past? I don't get it."

"Well, I reckon you should get it." Christmas Past frowned. "I've come to give you a look into your past, and help you see what's caused you, and Muttley to become such self-centered, greedy, evil-type villains."

"Do I have a choice?" Dastardly rolled his eyes.

"I'm sorry, but no. This here journey is for your own little ole good."

"Rassuh-frazzapazza snacken fracken bracken." Muttley pouted.

"Y'all just might change your minds, and your outlooks on life if you simply come with me." Said Christmas Past as he opened the bedroom window. "We simply must hurry. It's time for us to start flying."

"You must be crazy!" Dastardly gulped as he looked down the ground from the high height of his room. "Unlike you I'm a mortal! I can't fly!"

"Razzen-frazzen neither can I." Muttley shivered.

"Dastardly, Muttley, the two of you have nothing to fear but fear its little ole self." The Ghost of Christmas Past reassured the villains. "Dastardly, you take one hand, and Muttley, you take the other. Once you do, we will fly together."

Dastardly took Christmas Past's paw, and Muttley took the other just as they have been told. Before long, all three of them were floating off the floor and took off soaring into town.

Muttley had fun flying, but Dastardly was a bit scared. Yet at the same time, he couldn't believe his eyes at what was happening.

"I-I can't believe it." He smiled, while struggling not to look down. "I'm flying! I'm actually flying in midair, and not in a flying machine either!"

"Isn't this fun, Dastardly?" Christmas Past smiled. "It helps if you don't look down."

"Wheee!" Muttley shouted in excitement as he spread his arms like wings.

"I never knew what a lovely sight the town was from such a high distance." Dastardly admired the town from below.

They kept flying when Dastardly and Muttley noticed a light straight across.

"Straight across is our destination." Christmas Past told them.

"That light? Again you must be crazy! We might blind ourselves!"

"The light is going to take you to the past."

The Ghost of Christmas Past, with Dastardly and Muttley still holding his paws, entered into the light. When they entered, Dastardly noticed that it was daytime and there was a building that looked very familiar to him. The minute he gently landed with Muttley and Christmas Past, he couldn't stop looking around.

"I remember this old place." "He sighed with a smile. "This was my old grade school. I was just a young lad here!"

"That's right, Dastardly." Christmas Past replied. "As you can see, we're inside your childhood."

A bunch of young kids Dastardly knew (Augie Doggie, Yakky Doodle, Pixie and Dixie, Lambsy from 'It's the Wolf,' Ding-a-Ling Wolf, and Sneezly Seal) came running by during their play. The kids were all excited because they knew that it was the afternoon of Christmas Eve.

"I know these kids!" Dastardly looked at the running, playing children that ran past him and Muttley. "One of them was even my friend back then."

"Hello, Augie Doggie!" Dastardly tried to get the little pup's attention, but to no avail.

"How could he not notice me, or is he doing that on purpose?"

"Snazzen-frazzen rotten kids." Muttley grumbled.

"He's certainly not doing it on purpose, Dastardly." Christmas Past chuckled before he began to explain. "These here kids and several other people we're about to see are all shadows of the past. They can neither see or hear you. Follow me, we'll take a look inside the school."

Dastardly and Muttley did as they were told and followed Christmas Past into the school. When they entered an old classroom, Dastardly was surprised to see his younger self sitting alone in the classroom.

"That lonely little youngster, that's me." Dastardly stared at his younger self, his eyes and mind focused on his studies, while the other children had gone home for the day. "I never cared for Christmas, even as a kid. Back in that time, I saw Christmas as a way to get my work done."

"A hard worker you were." Christmas Past told him.

"That's only because my father believed that if I stayed behind after school, it would be easier to study. It was always the same year after year. He never cared for me since my mother died."

Muttley whimpered in sorrow for his master.

The sound of the door opening caught young Dastardly's attention. In came his sister, Fan (Ogee from Magilla Gorilla).

"Oh, gee! Ebenezer!" Little Fan cried with joy.

"Sister Fan, what brings you here?" Young Dastardly was confused.

"Oh gee, big brother!" Fan smiled. "I'm here to bring you home!"

"Home? But what about father? I don't get it."

"Oh, daddy's much kinder and sweeter than he used to be. He spoke so gently to me. I was not scared to ask him if you were ever gonna come home!"

"Are you sure about this, Fan?"

"Oh, gee I am, Ebenezer! Daddy said yes and sent a horse carriage to come get you!" Fan told Dastardly in delight. "This will be the bestest Christmas ever, because we can all be together! We'll have the merriest time in all the world!"

"I believe you now, Fan." Young Dastardly gave his sister a warm smile and gently hugged her.

"Ain't that sweet?" Christmas Past sniffed with a smile. "What a sweet little gal."

Muttley sniffed at the scene with a smile himself.

"She had a huge heart of gold, even at such a tender young age like that." Dastardly sighed. "She and I loved each other to itty bitty bits and pieces. We were like best buddies."

"You sure were best buddies." Christmas Past replied. "If my little ole memory serves me right, Fan died a young woman, didn't she?"

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but she did." A tear fell from Dastardly's eye.

"Didn't she have any children?" Christmas Past asked Dastardly.

"Only one: my nephew, Fred." Dastardly explained. "Fan died giving birth to Fred. I know just how he feels, growing up without a mother…"

Muttley and Christmas Past nodded sadly.

"Keep following me, Dastardly." Christmas Past took Dastardly's hand and Muttley's paw. "There's something else you need to see."

All three of them started to float in midair again. Before long, they once again soared above the town. This time, it was nighttime and a small gold light was shining across them.

"Where are we going this time, spirit?" Dastardly wondered.

"You'll see, Mr. Dastardly." Christmas Past answered.

Christmas Past landed gently on the ground with Dastardly and Muttley in tow, and from there, Dastardly instantly recognized the building where the light was coming from. That building had a sign on the very front that read, _FEZZIWIG TEA CO_.

"I see y'all recognize this place, Dastardly." Christmas Past smiled.

"Are you kidding me?" Dastardly grinned. "Muttley and I were apprentices there. There's old Fezziwig himself, alive and well, holding."

"Heavens to Murgatroyd. Six o'clock already?" Fezziwig (Snagglepuss) looked at the clock. "It's closing time, Ebenezer, and it's Christmas Eve, even. Which means it's time to prepare for our annual Christmas celebration! Come, come, Ebenezer! There's so much to do, in so little time, even."

"I'm on it, Mr. Fezziwig!" A Young Adult Dastardly smiled as he dashed to get the interior of the building put together for the upcoming ball.

Later, Fezziwig's Annual Celebration was going on. While the townsfolk that attended danced merrily with one another, Fezziwig was seen playing a violin with a group of seven small men (The Ant Hill Mob) who played their own instruments. Among the dancing partygoers, some of them clapped along to the festive melody the men were playing.

Dastardly recognized his young adult self, hiding timidly among the crowd. A young adult version of Muttley sat by his master, who gave him a gentle scratch behind the ears.

"And there's me again." Dastardly grinned. "And look, Muttley. There's you!"

"Snazzle-frazzle here I am!" Muttley wagged his tail the minute he saw his younger self.

"Good times, Dastardly." Christmas Past sighed. "Good times, before you and your dog turned to the dark side and became nothing but greedy, miserable misers."

"Look, I've made some mistakes back then, but doesn't everybody?"

Another young man (Shaggy) came running to Young Adult Dastardly.

"Ebenezer!" Shaggy took him by the arm. "Like, someone's looking all over for you!"

"Who-who is this someone?" Dastardly stammered.

"Like, only the coolest, most prettiest girl in town!" Shaggy took Dastardly and Muttley form their corner and brought them into the crowd.

The minute he was brought out to the dance floor, Dastardly tried to look for the girl who was looking for him, but he couldn't find any girl who looked like she was looking for him.

"Where is she?" Dastardly kept looking amongst the partygoers. "It doesn't look like any girl here is looking for me?"

"Razzen-frazzen razzen better keep looking." Young Adult Muttley muttered as he helped Dastardly search.

"Ebenezer! Oh, there you are Ebenezer!" A beautiful young woman with a lovely purple ball gown with lavender trimmings and red hair pulled back by a matching purple hair ribbon (Daphne Blake) came up to Dastardly. "I've been looking all over for you."

"Belle, my love." Dastardly took Belle's hands in his.

Belle's white toy poodle with a collar and bows that were the same color of Belle's dress ran in among the crowd to see Muttley.

"Oh, Princess." Belle bent down with a smile. "Have you been looking for Muttley?"

Princess wagged her tail barked in joy and love when she saw Muttley.

"Princess, rello ry rove." Muttley took Princess's paw and kissed it.

Princess kissed him in return, causing Muttley to blush and snicker.

"Belle… My dear…" Dastardly nervously asked. "Now that we're together, may I… may I… have this dance?"

"I would love this dance, Ebenezer." Belle took his hand as he led her to the dance floor.

The townsfolk, as well as Dastardly, Muttley and Christmas Past, all watched as Belle and Young Adult Dastardly slow-danced and waltzed on the dance floor to the Ant Hill Mob's slow love song being played.

"Why, Ebenezer. I never knew how divinely you dance." Belle told Young Adult Dastardly during their dance.

"I've got plenty of moves in me, Belle. Would you like to see when we're done?"

"Actually, I'd like to see them anytime, even now, if that's alright, that is."

"I'll be more than happy to show you." Young Adult Dastardly turned his head to the Ant Hill Mob. "Boys, would you care to change things up a bit?"

The Ant Hill Mob started playing an Irish tune. Dastardly let go of Belle's hands and started dancing an Irish jig, Young Adult Muttley and Princess joining him. Belle and the rest of the partygoers clapped and cheered for him. Even Christmas Past and Muttley snapped their fingers and tapped their feet to the tune.

"Y'all were quite the dancer back then Dastardly." Christmas Past chuckled as Muttley started to dance a jig to the music. "Do you think you still have it in you?"

"Oh, I don't know. It's been a long time."

"Y'all don't know what you're missing." Christmas Past pulled his arm forward.

Dastardly tried to dance, but cracked his back in the process.

"See what I mean?" He said in pain.

The Ant Hill Mob was playing the Russian Dance piece from _The Nutcracker_. The young adult versions of Dastardly and Muttley started dancing like Russians, the crowd cheering and clapping with the music. While Dastardly danced, Belle giggled before she stepped by Dastardly and danced a jig with him. Princess danced with Muttley, too while the crowd (plus Christmas Past) clapped to the beats of the tune. By the end of the dance, Belle and Dastardly ended up in each other's arms, looking into each other's eyes with love.

As he and Belle looked at the cheering partygoers after their dance, Dastardly looked up.

"Hey, Belle, do you see what's hanging above us?" He smirked.

"I do see." Belle looked at the mistletoe hanging above them. "We just danced ourselves under the mistletoe, which means…"

Before Belle could prepare herself, Dastardly lovingly kissed her cheek, causing her to blush and smile. She and Dastardly then closed their eyes and leaned in for a long kiss under the mistletoe. Muttley and Princess also shared their own kiss under the mistletoe.

"I was one lucky lad to have been so in love with the coolest, most beautiful girl that ever lived." Dastardly sighed. "There was no other girl like Belle."

"Razzle-frazzle snazzle or Princess." Muttley sighed.

"You and Muttley were downright lucky lads to be in love, but unfortunate-like, your villainous greed caused you to lose your gals." Christmas Past frowned. "Y'all will see what I mean."

"Do we have to?" Dastardly gulped.

The lights of the ball disappeared, and Dastardly, Muttley, and Christmas Past were now seen in Dastardly's office at Fezziwig's building. Young Adult Dastardly and Muttley were seen counting their schillings once more. The door of the office opened. In stepped Belle and Princess.

"Ebenezer, we need to talk." Belle said in a quiet, stern unhappy voice.

"At a time like this?" Dastardly impatiently frowned. "Can't you see I'm too busy. Counting these schillings takes great concentration."

"Razzen-frazzen bracken lost count." Muttley mumbled as he kept counting the money. Princess growled at him.

"That's why I'm here in the first place, Ebenezer! It seems as though another idol has replaced me." Belle was getting mad at him.

"What are you talking about, Belle? Nothing could replace you?"

"You're right, nothing can replace me…" Belle's voice sarcastic before she looked at him, feeling upset. "Except your money! It's the only thing in the world you care about! I can't believe how you've changed."

"Quit talking that way. I have not changed a bit, not for you." Dastardly tired to cover himself up.

"Ebenezer, if you haven't changed, why do I hear the townsfolk talking about you and your evil misdeeds toward the poor? What value does money have to you anyway? Why do you see money and villainy as your whole life?"

"If others are fine with living in poverty…"

"It's over, Dastardly." Belle cut him off, removing an engagement ring. "I release you! I release you to your cold-hearted, selfish life of villainy! I will never marry you!"

Princess bit Muttley on the nose and walked away from him with a humph.

From there, Belle slapped Dastardly across the face and walked away crying after collecting Princess in her arms.

"Farewell for life, Ebenezer Dastardly!" Belle sobbed in anger as she walked out and slammed the door, causing the stacks of schilling coins to fall all over the place.

After seeing Belle walk out with Princess, Young Adult Dastardly and Muttley were at a loss for words.

"You loved your money and cheating more than you loved Belle, and her leaving you for good was the price you had to pay." Christmas Past gave Dastardly a stern frown.

"If only I would've knew what love really was, then." Dastardly sniffed. "Oh, spirit. I can't bear these memories any longer. You have to take me and Muttley back. Please, take us back."

Muttley whimpered in sorrow, tears falling from his eyes, too.

"Now, Dastardly, you're the one fashioned these here memories yourself." Christmas Past told him. "It's not my fault."

"Surely you can fix the past, especially these past moments." Dastardly begged through tears. "I already can't forgive myself for what I've done to Belle!"

"I'm afraid not." Christmas Past shook his head. "There's nothing even I can do about it. Nobody can change the past, and neither can I. The best thing you can do is learn your lesson from it."

Dastardly and Muttley sadly nodded in acceptance.

"Come, let's go home." Christmas Past quietly told them before he took them back to their bedroom.

 **Note: This fic was meant to be finished by Christmas Eve, but with school, finals week and trying to figure out how I'm going to write this story, as well as trying to catch up on as many Christmas movies as I can, it just didn't happen. I will, however, get this done by the end of December. I tend to catch post-holiday blues and still celebrate Christmas until New Year's Eve (and hopefully there are others out there who do the same). I'm sorry for any inconveniences and I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!**


	4. The Ghosts of Christmas Present

The bells of the clock rang as it struck 2. Dastardly and Muttley were in their beds, still feeling guilty over their actions of the past, when all of a sudden, a gold light shone on the wall and they heard the sound of jolly laughter coming from not one, but two men.

"Yabba-dabba-doo!" One of the men shouted from behind Dastardly's bed drapes, making both Dastardly and Muttley jump out of their beds.

"Ebenezer Dastardly and Muttley, it's time to come out!" The other man, unseen, called to them, the two fiends hung from the ceiling. "Or in your case, time to come down. We'll catch you."

"If you say so." Dastardly gulped as he and Muttley let go of the ceiling.

Dastardly and Muttley came falling from the ceiling, but fortunately, Dastardly was caught by a man with black hair, bare feet and a long fur-lined green velvet robe and a holly wreath crown with white candles (Fred Flintstone) and Muttley was caught by a man with blonde hair who also had bare feet, a long fur-lined green velvet robe and a holly wreath crown with white candles (Barney Rubble).

"I can't believe I'm saying this but, thank you for saving me." Dastardly caught his breath. "Now, who are you?"

"My name's Fred and this is my good pal, Barney." Fred introduced himself and Barney.

"But together, we are…" Barney began to tell Dastardly and Muttley.

"The Ghosts of Christmas Present!" Fred and Barney said together.

"There, there's two of you?" Dastardly couldn't believe his eyes. "I-I can't believe it!"

"Well you'd better start believing, Dastardly." Fred told him. "That's why we're here in the first place."

"And I see the two of you brought some yummy food!" Dick stared at the variety food that surrounded the Ghosts of Christmas Present. And not just any food, it was festive holiday food: Turkey, ham, mince pies, potatoes, cranberry sauce, plum pudding, fruitcakes, and many more delicious treats!

"Razzle-frazzle snazzle get in my belly!" Muttley snickered as he reached for some turkey.

"Oh no you don't!" Fred smacked Muttley on the head.

"Rassuh-frazzapazza snacken fracken bracken." Muttley muttered as he rubbed his sore head.

"What did you stop us for?" Dastardly questioned the Ghosts of Christmas Present. "We were only going to help ourselves to a nibble of everything."

"This food isn't just any food, Dastardly." Fred replied.

"This food represents charity and generosity, which you and your dog have withheld from your fellow men and women and children for too long!" Barney explained.

"Generosity?" Dastardly scoffed. "No one's ever given me or Muttley generosity!"

"That's because you've never given anyone any reason too, Dastardly." Fred told him. "Has anyone ever told you that you get what you give?"

"I'd say yes, but not really."

"Then come with us Dastardly." Barney said as he took Dastardly to the window by the hand, Fred taking Muttley.

"Where will we be going?"

"We'll tell you when we get there." Fred answered.

The Ghosts of Christmas Present held Dastardly and Muttley's hands and floated out with them into the night sky. They entered into another light and found themselves in what looked like the town on Christmas Day.

Oh, the town was just abundant with holiday spirit and joy. Carolers consisting of Smurfs, the Ant Hill Mob, and Top Cat's alley cat gang filled the streets and the townsfolk greeted each other with holiday spirit. Surprisingly, Dastardly and Muttley thought it all a beautiful sight to see.

"Dastardly, Muttley, welcome to Christmas Day!" Fred smiled.

"What a glorious sight to see, but what brings us here?" Dastardly wondered while he and Muttley looked all around.

"You'll soon find out." Barney replied. "Tell us, Dastardly. What, who or which do you wish to see first?"

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but spirits, I'd like to see friends and kinfolk." Dastardly told Fred and Barney. "I'm rather curious to see what my family is up to!"

"Razzle frazzle snazzle me too." Muttley wagged his tail.

"Alrighty then." Fred snapped his fingers, bringing him, Barney, Dastardly and Muttley in a familiar house.

"I know this place." Dastardly looked all around the house and observed the people in it, including Fred. "I can see my nephew, Fred and his father and their dog! They're celebrating Christmas with friends! Let's have ourselves a look, eh Muttley?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!" Muttley nodded.

"Well now, that plum pudding sure hit the spot, didn't now Fred?" Fred's father (George Jetson) took a breath.

"It sure did, father." Fred replied. "And we sang such great Christmas carols. Now what shall we do, my friends."

Scattered voices filled the room, only to be cut off by Fred's dog (Astro).

"Ret's ray a rame! Ret's ray a rame!" Astro jumped up in excitement.

"What a wonderful idea, Astro!" Fred's father gave Astro a scratch behind the ears. "But what game shall we play?"

"I know, I know!" Fred raised his hand. "How about charades?"

"Great idea, Fred old boy! Why don't you go first?"

"Okay. Everyone needs to take a guess at who I am."

Fred went behind a table in the house and rose from it with a growl.

"A wild animal?" Fred's father guessed.

Fred shook his head and started both pacing and growling.

"It paces." Said Rosie, Fred and his father's robot servant.

"Does it live in the zoo?" Fred's father asked.

Fred shook his head.

"Maybe it's Astro with a toothache." Fred's father guessed again.

Fred went to the table and started eating.

"And it eats." Rosie said.

"A sick pig." Said Fred's father.

"A stuffed goose." Said Rosie.

Fred turned and hissed.

"A snake!"

"Yes and no." Fred replied.

"I row, I row!" Astro raised his paw in excitement. "It's rour runcle, Reberezer Rastardly!"

Fred sat like a dog and gave a wheezy snicker.

"Rand Ruttrey!"

"That's right, Astro!" Fred laughed with the other partygoers. "Good for you!"

"Of course they'd talk about us like that, Muttley." Dastardly sighed.

"For a good reason. You shouldn't have acted so stingy toward your nephew." Barney scolded Dastardly. "And you shouldn't have let your dog chase him away."

"You and Muttley should come with us. There's more to see." Fred took his hand.

"Do we have to?" Dastardly gave a sad look. "I don't want to see anymore of this."

"Snazza Frazza me neither." Muttley mumbled.

The Ghosts of Christmas Present led Dastardly and Muttley out of Fred's house and into town, where they arrived at another house.

"What is this place you have taken us to, spirits?" Dastardly wondered whose house this was.

"This is the home of your underworked and lone employer, Yogi Cratchit." Barney explained.

"Yogi Cratchit? What brings us here?"

"You'll see." Fred replied.

Inside the house, Cratchit's wife (Cindy Bear) and their oldest son (Boo-Boo Bear) were cooking a goose in the fireplace.

"Now, Boo-Boo, you need to keep turning the goose." Mrs. Cratchit told Boo-Boo. "That's the key to getting it well cooked."

"It sure smells delicious, Mama." Boo-Boo sniffed.

"Children, I told you to stay out of the chestnuts." Mrs. Cratchit scolded three of her young cubs, Bopper, Buzzy and Bitsy (the three orphan cubs from Yogi's Great Escape). "Not one bite of anything until your father and Tiny Tim return home.

"When will Paw and Tiny Tim be home, anyway?" The Cratchits' oldest daughter (Floral Rugg from the Hillbilly Bears) asked her mother while she helped set up the table.

"Any second now, Floral." Mrs. Cratchit replied. "Any second."

From outside the house, the Ghosts of Christmas Present and Dastardly and Muttley heard a familiar man's voice singing 'Jingle Bells' with his son. They turned their heads and saw Yogi Cratchit walking home with his and Mrs. Cratchit's ill son, Tiny Tim (Shag Rugg from the Hillbilly Bears) sitting on his shoulders, holding his crutch.

"There's Cratchit now, with his little boy in tow." Dastardly thought out loud.

Cratchit and Tiny Tim finished their song as they entered the front door of the house, the rest of the family happy to see them.

"Hey, hey, hey! We're home!" Cratchit called out.

"Daddy!" Bopper, Buzzy and Bitsy ran to hug their father, who carefully set Tiny Tim down to see his mother before he could hug them.

"Welcome home, Paw." Boo-Boo greeted Cratchit.

"We're so glad you and brother Tiny Tim made it home safe." Said Floral.

"Did you have a nice time with your father, Tiny Tim?" Mrs. Cratchit gave her son a gentle hug.

"I sure did, maw!" Tiny Tim hugged back, before the scent of the food caught his nose. "Golly! I smell cooked goose!"

"Your nose is right, Tiny Tim." Yogi smiled as he breathed in the smell of the cooked goose as well. "Now that we're home, let's dig in, shall we?"

Fred, Barney, Dastardly and Muttley watched as Tiny Tim used his crutch to get to his dinner chair.

Once the family helped each other in setting the table and getting the food on it, they were now seen gathered at it, where Mrs. Cratchit led the blessing.

"We thank you, father, for this wonderful feast, and for this time for us to spend with the ones we love on Christmas." Mrs. Cratchit prayed. "Please bless the ones who are less fortunate in their lives and bless us each and every day with the desire to help them, especially around this time at Christmas."

"And please Mr. Dastardly for providing such a wonderful meal for us to have tonight. Amen." Yogi finished the prayer.

"Yogi, how can you ask to bless a greedy, self-absorbed villain like Mr. Dastardly!?" Mrs. Cratchit frowned.

"That big old wretch!" Floral also frowned. "He doesn't deserve any credit or to be in a blessing."

"Neither does that dog of his." Bopper agreed

Scattered voices of the children expressing their feelings for Dastardly and Muttley filled the dining room.

"Even the kids don't like us, either, Muttley." Dick stared at the scene. "And I can understand why."

"Rassuh-frazzapazza snacken fracken bracken." Muttley pouted.

"Now now, children, Cindy dear." Yogi reassured his wife and children. "We shouldn't judge Mr. Dastardly too harshly. He's not so bad a man or villain. He's done a few good things for us."

"Paw got the few good things part right." Boo-Boo whispered to Floral.

"Without him, I wouldn't be able to provide for my lovely family."

"He doesn't pay you enough to provide for us, Yogi." Mrs. Cratchit told Yogi.

"I hope you caught that Dastardly." Fred scolded Dastardly.

"And look at the dinner they've got." Barney pointed out. "Cooked goose isn't big enough for them."

For the first time, Dastardly slowly began to show slight guilt and sympathy for the Cratchits. He stared at little Tiny Tim, who began to not feel so well.

"Maw, Paw, I'm hurting again." Tiny Tim turned his head to his parents with a frown.

"Oh, you poor little fella." Yogi came to his young son and lifted him into his arms. "Daddy's here."

"I love you, Paw." Tiny Tim smiled as he hugged his father dearly.

"Poor Tiny Tim." Fred sniffed.

"You just took those words right out of my mouth." Dastardly feared what could happen to Tiny Tim. "Tell me, spirits. What will become of him?"

"It doesn't look so good, that's for sure." Fred answered.

"What we see is an empty table where Tiny Tim used to sit, and a crutch no longer having an owner." Barney explained.

Dastardly and Muttley were no doubt horrified to hear those words.

"Wait a minute!" Dastardly cried. "Does this mean Tiny Tim's going to…"

Before Dastardly could finish his sentence, both Ghosts of Christmas Present disappeared, and Dastardly and Muttley found themselves in a dark area surrounded by fog…

 **I must admit, this was a difficult chapter to work on. I hope I did an okay job. Boo-Boo Bear was going to play Tiny Tim but I decided he was too old. Hope everyone has a happy New Year's Eve tomorrow!**


	5. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Be

The bells of the clock striking 3 could be heard in the distance of the dark, foggy area Dastardly and Muttley now found themselves in.

"Muttley, where are we?" Dick was shivering with cold and fear. "This looks nothing like our meetings with the Ghosts of Christmas Past and Present!"

Muttley whimpered and held Dastardly in fear.

A bright light shone on Dastardly and Muttley, blinding the two villains for a few seconds.

"What's going on!?" Dastardly panicked. "Who's there?"

The bright light was coming from the lantern of a figure donning a black robe and a hood that hid his face.

"Oh no! The Grim Reaper!" Dastardly gasped.

"Razzle frazzle snazzle don't take me, please!" Muttley begged through whimpers.

"No, Ebenezer Dastardly and Muttley." Said the figure in a dark voice that sounded a bit like Dastardly's. "It is I, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Be."

"This area's too dark to even be called a place, spirit." Dastardly looked around. "Where are we?"

The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Be raised his lantern, the light revealing that their location was a dark, cold cemetery.

"A cemetery? This looks more like Halloween, but never mind. What brings us here?" Dick looked around the cemetery with Muttley.

As Dastardly and Muttley looked around the dark cemetery, they happened to see the familiar shadows of a family of bears standing by a tombstone. In that moment, they felt their hearts sink to their stomaches.

"Spirit, shine your light on that family of bears." Dastardly told Christmas Yet to Be. "I need to know whose grave this is and whose family is mourning. They sure look familiar…"

Christmas Yet to Be once again raised his lantern and shone the light on the family of bears, revealing them to be Yogi Cratchit his wife, and their children.

"I can see Cratchit, his wife, and their kids…" Dastardly noticed the Cratchits mournfully standing by the tombstone with bowed heads.

But it didn't take him and Muttley long to notice something different with the Cratchit family: The absence of Tiny Tim.

"But Tiny Tim's not with them!" Dastardly gasped. "Does this mean, Tiny Tim's…"

The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Be led Dastardly and Muttley closer to the scene. While Mrs. Cratchit wrapped her comforting arms around her grieving husband as he held onto Tiny Tim's crutch, Floral carried Buzzy and held Bitsy's paw and Boo-Boo held Bopper's paw and they stood by Tiny Tim's tombstone crying mournful tears for their fallen brother.

"I wish we would've all gone, so we could be with Tiny Tim." Buzzy sobbed into her sister's chest.

"I know you miss him Buzzy." Boo-Boo sniffed. "We all do, but this was his time."

"It should never have been his time." Floral allowed fresh tears to fall. "He was just a little cub."

"Floral, Boo-Boo, could you take the cubs home?" Mrs. Cratchit turned her head to the children. "Your father and I need some more time here with your brother."

The two older bear children nodded, and from there Floral carried Buzzy and held Bitsy's paw, and Boo-Boo held Bopper's paw as they headed out of the cemetery, while even more tears filled Yogi's eyes as he nuzzled Tiny Tim's crutch.

"I'll never walk the same again." Yogi sniffed. "It was always Tiny Tim who helped me walk faster with him on my shoulders. My poor, sweet little boy. Why did our little boy have to go?"

Dastardly and Muttley watched in grief and fright as Yogi welled up once more and sobbed as he gently placed the crutch on his little cub's tombstone and knelt by the tombstone, Mrs. Cratchit holding him in comfort and sorrow.

"Oh no! Not Tiny Tim!" Dastardly started to cry himself. "This is all my fault!"

"Razza frazza mine too." Muttley also cried.

"I never wanted anything to happen to Tiny Tim. He didn't deserve this! Spirit, this is only the future. Surely these events can yet be changed! Can they?"

Dastardly and Muttley then heard the sound of a grave being dug.

"Now what's going on, over there?"

Dastardly and Muttley walked over to another part of the cemetery and indeed saw a grave being dug by four men who resembled Western outlaws (the Dalton Brothers).

"Boy, I've never seen a grave more emptier than this one!" Said Pinky Dalton. "Not only that but that headstone sure is cheap!"

"Why not? The man was empty and cheap himself!" Stinky Dalton laughed.

"Uh, whose grave is it?" Dinky Dalton asked.

"Who cares?" Finky Dalton replied.

"Looks like he's not getting any funeral!" Pinky sneered.

"Even if he did have a funeral, no one in the world would show up!" Stinky Dalton laughed with his brothers. "Let's have ourselves a rest. This man's not going anyplace!"

The Dalton's laughed as they walked away from the grave with their shovels.

"Spirit, whose lonely grave is this that those men over there were mocking?" Dastardly asked Christmas Yet to Be.

The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Be put his lantern down next to the grave, revealing the words on the tombstone.

 _R.I.P. Ebenezer Dastardly._

 _The richest, greediest villain in the cemetery_

 _(And Muttley)_

"No!" Dastardly gasped with Muttley. "It can't be!"

"It is…" The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Be lifted down his hood, and revealed himself to be Gargamel (from the Smurfs).

"But this grave won't be empty for long!" He laughed as he pushed Dastardly and Muttley into the pit in front of the gravestone. Dastardly grabbed a giant root and clung to it, while Muttley clung to his master's leg. While Dastardly and Muttley kept holding on and kept trying to climb out of the pit, to no avail, Christmas Yet to Be lit a match and dropped it into the pit, setting it on fire.

"No, spirit!" Dastardly begged. "Please don't do this!"

"Razzen Frazzen Snazzen, help!" Muttley cried.

"Please spare me this fate, spirit!" Dastardly cried. "Muttley and I have learned our ways! We've learned from our actions! We are not the villains were! We will not be the villains we would have been!"

Muttley fell, but Dastardly caught him with one hand while clinging to the root with the other, and was starting to slip.

"Have you really learned?" Christmas Yet to Be laughed diabolically as he cut the root with a strong pair of scissors.

"We have learned! Please take pity, spirit!" Dastardly shouted.

With a snap, the root fell with Dastardly and Muttley.

"We'll change! We'll change!" Dastardly yelled as he and Muttley fell into the blazing pit…


	6. Not So Dastardly Now!

"We'll change! We'll change!" Dastardly kept shouted as he and Muttley rolled around on the bedroom floor.

But then he woke up, looked around to adapt to his real surroundings, and then shook Muttley awake so he could do the same thing.

"Muttley, Muttley wake up." Dastardly shook his dog awake. "We're back in our room, and it's morning!"

"Razza frazza snazza, huh?" Muttley was trying to get in touch with reality again.

"Can't you see? We're home!" Dastardly was happy to be back home, and so was Muttley. "But what day is it?"

"Razzen-frazzen snazzen ask him." Muttley pointed down the window to a red kitten delivery boy (Ruff from Ruff and Reddy).

"You there, little boy!" Dastardly called down to Ruff. "Do you know what day it is today?"

"What do you mean what day is it today?" Ruff called back. "It's Christmas Day?"

"Are you sure it's Christmas?"

"Yeah, I'm sure!"

When Dastardly and Muttley looked out the window to see the townsfolk once again all hustle and bustle with holiday cheer, it all came together.

"It's Christmas! It's Christmas, Muttley!" Dastardly hugged his dog. "We haven't missed! Thank goodness we haven't missed it! Can't you see, Muttley? Those spirits have given us another chance! Those shadows of what could've happened have vanished! They're gone, and it's up to us to make sure they're gone!"

Muttley gave Dastardly a kiss on his hand.

"Come along, Muttley." Dastardly took Muttley's paw as they put on their top hats, their scarves nad their coats and headed out the door, Dastardly not caring that he didn't change out of his nightgown. "It's still morning, so that gives us plenty of time to make things right!"

"Razzle Frazzle you said it!" Muttley snickered.

Dastardly and Muttley were now seen dashing and skipping through town, greeting the townsfolk with Christmas cheer and singing festive carols. They spotted Snooper and Blabber collecting schillings for the poor again and went up to them.

"Merry Christmas, one and all!" Dastardly greeted them.

"Gee, Snoop. Isn't this the same guy who pulled that mean trick on us last night?" Blabber asked Snooper.

"It's also the same guy who sent his dog after us, Blab, and now he seems to be a bit friendlier." Snooper noticed the change in Dastardly.

"About that, Muttley and I are sorry for our misdeeds." Dastardly apologized to Snooper and Blabber, giving them a sack of schilling coins. "And to make up for it, and because the poor obviously needs this more than we do, here you go."

"Wow." Blabber smiled.

"A sack full of schillings." Snooper looked at the sack of schillings. "And not the string pully type either."

"Oh dear! It's not enough." Dastardly took out three more sack of schillings sacks, handed two to Muttley, and together, the two former villains gave them to Snooper and Blabber.

"Thank you, Mr. Dastardly, but you didn't have to give us more." Blabber told Dastardly.

"Actually, I want to." Dastardly smiled, taking out two more sacks. "This donating to the poor is actually quite fun. I'm already getting the hang of it!"

"Snazzen Frazzen, me too!" Muttley gave Snooper and Blabber another sack.

"Thank you, Mr. Dastardly!" Snooper collected some of the sacks with a grateful smile. "You really have seen the light, after all! This will be a perfect amount for the poor."

"All in a morning's work!" Dastardly gave a grin that showed happiness and not evil. "Farewell, my good men, and Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas!" Snooper and Blabber waved goodbye as Dastardly and Muttley took off.

As they continued their walk through town, Dastardly and Muttley came across the same constable and deputy they saw last night.

"Merry Christmas, partner!" Dastardly tipped his hat to the constable, Muttley doing the same, before they bent to the deputy. "And Feliz Nabidud."

"It's Feliz Navidad." The deputy told him.

"Oh, yes." Dastardly chuckled in slight embarrassment. "Feliz Navidad."

"That's it, Senor Dastardly."

"Feliz Navidad." Dastardly smiled. "And Prospero Año y Felicidad, to you Deputy!"

"Merry Christmas, Partner!" The constable tipped his hat in return. "Stay out of trouble now."

"We will! We really will!" Dastardly called to the constable as he and Muttley left him and the deputy.

As Dastardly and Muttley kept walking through town, they happened to see Fred walking with his father and Astro.

"Fred! Fred, thank goodness you're here, dear nephew!" Dastardly came up to Fred with a smile.

"Uncle Dastardly, what brings you here?" Fred was confused.

"Why, dearest nephew, I wanted you and your father to know, that you will be seeing me at Christmas dinner tonight!"

"Leaping lasers! You mean you're coming?" Fred was happy to hear about Dastardly coming.

"I would be more than happy to be there, nephew Fred." Dastardly gave Fred a hug. "It sounds like a grand old time, and Muttley would like to come to, right, Muttley?"

Muttley snickered as he gave Fred a kiss.

"I'll take that as a yes." Dastardly chuckled. "Besides, I want to spend Christmas with the ones I love. NO one should ever be alone on Christmas."

"That's right, uncle Dastardly." Fred hugged Dastardly and gave Muttley a gentle scratch behind the ears. "We'll be more than happy to see you!"

"We must be off, nephew, but we'll see you tonight!" Dastardly got up with Muttley before they continued their trek. "Merry Christmas!"

"A Merry Christmas to you, too Uncle Dastardly!" Fred called out as he waved goodbye.

After they gave sacks of schillings to Hardy Har-Har and Wally Gator as their apology to them, Dastardly had a question.

"Do any of you gentlemen know where the Poulterer's is?"

"I believe it's right around the corner." Hardy pointed around the corner of where they were in town.

"Have they sold the prize Turkey that hung up there?" Dastardly asked. "Not the little one, but the big one?"

"Why yes, we saw it not so long ago, wouldn't you know." Wally replied.

"Thank you, gentlemen." Dastardly shook both Hardy and Wally's hands and gave each of them another sack of schillings. "Here, one more set of schillings for each of you. Now we must be on our way! Merry Christmas!"

A few minutes later, Dastardly and Muttley had just picked up the turkey and were now seen walking out of a toy store.

"Come now Muttley." Dastardly held the sack with the turkey inside and Muttley held another sack. "Now that we've run our errands, it's high time we paid a visit to our friend, Cratchit."

"Razzle frazzle snazzle, you got it!" Muttley snickered as he and Dastardly made of to Cratchit's home.

The minute they arrived at Cratchit's home, Dastardly knocked on the door and Yogi came to answer it.

"Why, Mr. Dastardly and Muttley, it's you." Yogi greeted Dastardly and Muttley nervously. "Merry Christmas!"

Dastardly and Muttley walked through the door in an irritated manner.

"Mr. Cratchit, do you remember last night when I told you to be at the office first thing in the morning at eight?" Dastardly confronted him.

"I remember, but can't you see? It's Christmas Day." Yogi gulped and shivered.

"Exactly!" Dastardly scoffed. "A poor excuse for work delays."

"Razza snazza delays." Muttley muttered.

"About you not showing up at the building at eight first thing in the morning when I told you to…" Dastardly's expression changed from angry to a warm smile. "I've decided that there's no need for you to come to work today."

"Do you really mean it, Dastardly?" Yogi showed some confusion at first.

"I do mean it." Dastardly nodded his head. "And in addition, you my good man, err bear, will be given a raise!"

"A raise?" Yogi couldn't believe his ears at what Dastardly was saying.

"Yes, a raise." Dastardly patted Yogi's back. "And how would you like to be my new partner?"

Muttley growled and bit Dastardly's leg.

"Ouch!" Dastardly shouted in pain. "I mean, how would you like to be me and Muttley's new partner?"

"Snazza frazza that's better." Muttley snickered.

"You mean, together, you and I will both own the mortgage business?" Yogi smiled in surprise.

"That's right. From this day forward, our company will be known as Dastardly and Cratchit Mortgage!"

"I would love that, Dastardly!" Yogi shook Dastardly and Muttley's hands. "Thank you, sir."

"Oh, that's not all." Dastardly told him. "I have a few more things for you."

Dastardly and Muttley went to their sacks.

"For the entire family, Mrs. Cratchit." Dastardly gave Mrs. Cratchit the prize turkey.

"Oh, a prize turkey!" Mrs. Cratchit smiled. "What a perfect Christmas dinner!"

"And for the children." Dastardly and Muttley each handed the cubs new toys and new clothes.

"Wow! Look at all the goodies!" Tiny Tim told his brothers and sisters.

"Oh, they're just wonderful!" Floral smiled as she held up a new dress.

"A new dolly!" Buzzy held her new doll.

"Thank you, Mr. Dastardly and Muttley." Boo-Boo praised Dastardly and Muttley.

"This is the best Christmas ever!" Bitsy smiled as he and the other cubs pet Muttley.

"Thank you ever so much for what you've just done for us, Mr. Dastardly." Mrs. Cratchit gave Dastardly a hug.

"Yes, thank you Mr. Dastardly!" Yogi smiled. "And Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas." Dastardly told the Cratchits.

"And God bless us everyone!" Tiny Tim said as Dastardly lifted him onto his shoulders and gave him his top hat so he could wear it.

"Let's go outside." Dastardly told the Cratchits. "I say this calls for a celebration."

Dastardly, with Tiny Tim still sitting on his shoulders, went out of the house with the Cratchits and Muttley and led both Muttley, the Cratchits, Fred and the rest of the townsfolk in a singing of 'Deck the Halls.'

"God bless us everyone." Tiny Tim smiled as he hugged Dastardly and Muttley.

 **I'm really sorry that this is late, but I hope that everyone enjoys this fic and that it cured any post-holiday blues anyone might have. This fic wouldn't have been possible without my holiday spirit and my imagination. A special thanks to Heart of the Demons for being a loyal fan, and iheartgod175 for helping me with some of the casting! I hope everyone had a Happy New Year!**


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